EASY Healthy, Homemade Dark Chocolate

"Sinfully Delicious Salted Dark Chocolate"

This recipe was written by Amy Kelso of Backat the Ranch. Easy, tasty chocolate that is good for you!  We use Organic, Fair Trade cocoa powder from Frontier.  =)

This makes a great healthy candy, but be careful how you store it.  Coconut oil melts around 72°F!

    

Ingredients

• 1 cup Coconut Oil  (We use the ratio of 1:2 Cocoa Butter 2 -1/4 oz & then Coconut Oil up to 7 oz total) 
• 1 cup organic cocoa powder (3 & 1/4 oz)  (I just realized that I was accidentally using 1/2c! Well--it was good like that, but I'll have to try the whole amount next time, lol!)
• 1/2 cup raw, local honey (5-6oz)
• 1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
• 2 Generous pinch of organic coconut sugar (or 1T Sucanat)
• 2 Pinch of sea salt =)
  Optional: 1c rice cereal or granola & 1-2c chopped nuts, dried fruit, etc.

Instructions

1. Melt coconut oil & honey in sauce pan over low heat. (We found that you have to heat it till it starts to bubble a bit- otherwise it will not harden properly.)
2. Add cocoa powder, blend well.
3. Stir in a pinch of coconut sugar and sea salt.
4. Remove from heat.  (this is when you would add the optional crunchy stuff)
5. Line a shallow baking dish with parchment paper.
6. Pour chocolate mix onto paper lined dish.
7. Refrigerate (or freeze) until chocolate solidifies.
8. Cut into squares or break into bite sized pieces.
9. Store in refrigerator. (or freezer)

Notes I collected from the original blog post:
"You can adjust the amount of honey and coconut sugar to suit your personal taste.  I like mine a little less sweet and will often cut the amount of honey in half."

"Experience has shown me (experience and some helpful comments from my readers) that this chocolate will be an oooey gooey honey-fied mess if not spread thinly enough… so word to the wise."

"If you like, you can save your sea salt ’til the final step.  Sprinkling sea salt on top of your cooling chocolate adds to the visual appeal."

Oven Baked French Toast

We've made this recipe for years!  It's a special treat breakfast, not an everyday type of recipe....I snipped this from a Parents Magazine back in the mid-1980s.  We've never made the Praline Syrup...we prefer REAL maple syrup!  You can use an extra egg and add cinnamon and any dense bread works well. 

 Serving suggestion....if it's your birthday dinner (Adrienne's - March 2015) all the bacon you could want on the side! 

Once we made it while we were out of town visiting family and didn't have the recipe so we made it from memory and accidentally used an entire stick of butter.  We decided that was the way to go!  So in these photos that's how we made it.  Yum! 

It's easiest to soak the bread in a second 9X13 pan...yes more dishes, but it works well.  Notice the bubbling butter?!

 After turning...

 

And if there IS any leftover it's REALLY good to snack on!